Exactly eight months after Celi came into Red's foul hands, he came to tell her she would soon be out of them.

     He had her chained by the ankle to the wall in her room. She was ignoring the greed and hunger in his eyes, barely listening to what he said, hatching a plan while he spoke.

   "Someone's coming to get you, child. You'll be out of my hands and I'll be a good deal richer." When she didn't reply he jerked her head up by her hair and continued. "Don't you want to know what will happen to you, you brat?"

    She remained silent. "Hell, I'll tell you. Do you know why I'm called Red?"

    Celi shook her head.

    "Because I'm a man of blood. I've killed until my hands were scarlet. I know a lot about death. Though, with my experience, while I would love to kill you and watch you drown in your own blood, your actual fate will offer me much more pleasure. I'll see you suffer and get paid for it. You're so sweet, pretty, and innocent, he'll barely be able to wait, I'll bet. See, where you're going is a place worse than the grave."

   "Death is a heaven compared to this earth, a hell," she said. Red struck her hard, happily watching her head snap back and the light of the fire in her eyes flicker, dimming. He thought that by tonight, that fire would be completely out.

  "This man is a mystery. But I hear he has sadistic tendencies. He's cruel, wicked -"
 
   "And twisted, like you?"

   Another slap. Red did not like hearing about the horrors he committed unless it was he who was stating them. He had some guilt deep down, some deep embarrassment.

   "Shut up, child!" He yelled. "Yes, I think he will have fun with you, with all of his mysterious ways. He is, from what I can tell, a shadow, a ghost or phantom, a snake that slivers through dirt, picking up every bit of scum you can imagine. He is well known and unknown. High class with secrets, and I cannot wait for you two to meet. I heard he has a torture chamber, hidden within his home and the reason he takes children is to test out his new equipment."

  Celi did not speak, her pain dazing her mind.

   "I'll see you tonight, ma petite fille ange."

  Celi watched him through the curtain of her hair as he left. What would she do now besides throw a fit when her buyer came? How could she escape?

    Hen came a few hours later and dragged her off to a different cell, where he instructed her on how to behave when her buyer came to meet her. He tried to brush her matted hair and make her look better, but ended up leaving another bruise on her back and taking out a chunk of her mousy hair. Then he gave her another beating to make sure she didn't act up. She guessed they needed her to be perfect - as perfect as she could be in that condition - as it seemed this man was paying quite a sum.

   Back in her cell she was stripped to her slip, which was two sizes too small for her, and chained by her ankle to the wall again. She slumped down on her side in the dirt.

   Everything looked bleak to her. But the realization of what was coming, the horror and disgust of her future, shook her deeply, and she vowed she would not go peacefully into the darkness of that fate.

   She heard Red's laugh, his greeting to the slimy rat who was her buyer. She heard Hen's heavy tread next to Red's jolting steps coming down the dark hall. But she did not hear a third person. She stared through her tangled hair at the dirty ground inches from her face, wishing she was with her mother. She almost believed that if she closed her eyes in silence, and wished hard enough, the door would open and reveal her mother. Warm, sweet and gentle as always, her mother would smile down at her... but the thudding of boots and the harsh, deep boom of male voices only grew stronger. But again, these voices belonged to Red and Hen. There was not a third voice to be distinguished.

  The hinges creaked as the door flew open. She tensed.

   "Here she is," said Red. Celi closed her eyes before she could see them.

   "Get up girl," Hen snarled.

   Only then did the third voice speak. "She looks dead." This voice was as deep as the others, if not more so, but it held a melodic quality to it that Red and Hen's gruff tones didn't possess.

   "She's just playing. She's a smart one," Red said.

    Celi nearly smiled. She loved angering Red.

   "I said get up!" Hen roughly dragged her up by her hair, placing her in a sitting position. He then chained her wrists so she would remain upright.

   She looked at her buyer. He was a tall, thin man in a dark cloak, the hood of which obscured much of his face. But she was able to see the shadow of his lined, frowning mouth, and his dark golden, green flecked eyes. Those eyes took in her condition. Her rats nest of hair, tight slip, dirty skin, and angular bones. Those eyes appraised her. She misunderstood the reason why, and suddenly felt naked in the threadbare slip that barely reached her knees. She tucked her legs beneath her, a struggle to accomplish against her chains.

  Celi screamed when the man took a step closer. "Get away from me! Don't touch me!"

    His voice chilled. "And this is the sweet, pretty girl with an angel's voice? What did you say her name was?"

   "She does have a lovely voice -"

    The buyer held up a hand to silence Red. He addressed Celi.

   "Will you please sing for me, child? I am quite a fan of music, you see, and I would appreciate hearing you sing."

   "No!" Celi yelled. "I'll never sing for you! I know why you want me to sing and I won't. Stay away from me, you vile, nasty -"

   "Shut up!" Hen screeched.

  "No. Let her continue," said the cloaked man, sounding rather amused and concerned.

   Celi was quite fine with that. "You are a vile, disgusting, dirty rat! I'm not a... tramp. I'll die before I sing for you or let you lay a hand on me you... you..." she searched for a word.

   "Rat? Snake? Dog? Idiot?" The man supplied helpfully. "Monster? Beast?"

   "Y-yes," Celi was taken aback. "Beast. All of you are beasts, animals."

   Her buyer took another step closer and she recoiled as if he had struck her with the movement.

   He sighed. "It would seem like this child is under the impression that I'm going to rape her, when I  only just want to hear her sing and merely speak to her. The only advances I've made so far were those of a conversational intent. It makes me wonder what you teach here."

   He came closer still and Celi's chest heaved with her quick breaths. She strained back against her bonds.

    The man kneeled in front of her so that his eyes were level with her. He looked her up and down, inspecting, shaking his head as he did so, while Red looked utterly confused. When the buyer had finished, he asked her name.

   "Celine Christoux."

    "Celine Antoinette." Red sneered.

   "Don't try to make her sound fancy. I'm not a fool. Is Christoux your real name?"

   "I don't remember my real surname... but Christoux sounds nice."

   "Well, Mademoiselle  Celine Christoux, I have no intention of harming you. They treat you badly here, don't they? I'm sorry for that. I was in your shoes once.  Not too long ago, actually. It hurts, doesn't  it, to be sold as a packet of emotionless flesh to whoever pays the highest price? You don't feel loved, and you want revenge. Why do you shake your head?"

   "I want revenge, but I don't want it in a way that would bring me to their level."

   Red wondered if he should ask the man to leave. He had seemed so different a few minutes ago.